Daniel Gerhartz: Torian's Smile

How Chasing The Light Got Artist Daniel Gerhartz in Trouble, And What He Did To Solve It

Sometimes things don’t go according to plan…

Daniel Gerhartz was on the second day of filming a new outdoor composition for The Beginning of Autumn when suddenly the light completely shifted from a hazy and slightly overcast day to a clear sunny one.

Now he had a big decision to make…

Should he keep painting even though the light was completely different?

If you keep painting when something like this happens, you end up “chasing the shadows” and completely changing the value structure…

…and this usually means you end up losing the original intent of your painting.

So here’s the BIG question:

What do you do when you’re painting and things aren’t going according to plan?

Here’s what Daniel says you should do:

Paint something completely new!

This is how you make the most of your day — and if you do this, you may just be pleasantly surprised at what you come away with.

Now, instead of chasing a moment that has passed, you get to start something fresh.

With new emotions and new ideas, your sense of creativity begins to flow again.

And since you’re already “warmed up,” you can accomplish much more in a fraction of the time.

So that is exactly what Daniel decided to do.

He put away The Beginning of Autumn, and — with only 90 minutes of sunlight remaining — he painted a stunning portrait titled Torian’s Smile.

Luckily for us, he recorded the entire process.

This recording is a wonderful study in portraiture that’s absolutely jam-packed with techniques that you can use to make serious improvements to your work right now.

Who Is Daniel Gerhartz?

Daniel Gerhartz is considered one of the leading figure painting masters in the United States today.

His work has been featured in solo and group shows all over the country, and he’s won several awards at prestigious invitational exhibitions.

You can find his paintings hanging in several top-tier galleries…

…that is, IF the international collectors don’t snatch them up first.

His style is full of romanticism and symbolism, clearly influenced by legendary painters like:

John Singer Sargent

Alphonse Mucha

Nicolai Fechin

Joaquin Sorolla

Carl von Marr

Daniel’s paintings cover a wide variety of subjects, although he’s probably most known for his striking paintings of the female figure in what might be called contemplative isolation.

Take a closer look, and you’ll see that Daniel’s brushstroke is distinctly expressionistic, with close attention to the edgework, lighting, shadows, and other key details that separate a “good” painting from a gallery-quality one.

Perhaps Daniel said it best himself:

“I have found that it is having faith that the poetry will come and manifest itself if I am true to the beauty and strength of the construction, being careful not to overthink the problem...

…allowing all of your senses to take part in the mechanical process is the beginning of where the poetry begins.”

So Daniel is clearly a modern master, but what does this mean for you?

Well, if you want to create a profound visual experience for your viewer and you also find yourself drawn to expressive paintings and a sense of poetry in your subject…

…then Daniel Gerhartz is the perfect teacher to help you take your painting ability to the next level.

So What Makes Torian’s Smile So Special, and How Can You Apply Daniel’s Amazing Techniques to Your Own Paintings?

One of the most valuable lessons in Torian’s Smile (and a key secret to Daniel’s technique) is how he approaches the transitions.

In fact, this is one of the critical details that so many instructional books and workshops fail to address these days.

For example:

When you’re painting the transitions, you need to understand where to warm up and cool down the tones if you want to maintain a sense of balance in your work…

You also need to know where it makes sense to use a “soft transition” to help the eye move seamlessly from one feature to the next…

And at the same time, you need to know when to strengthen your transitions in order to add a sense of drama and intensity.

If you learn how to do this, you’ll be amazed at how much more of an impact your paintings will have with your viewers.

This is just one of the many valuable techniques you’ll learn about in Daniel’s exciting instructional DVD, titled: Torian’s Smile: A Portrait En Plein Air

On this DVD, Daniel Gerhartz will take you through every step of his portrait painting process…

…from the very beginning stages of blocking in the abstract forms to adding the final details that make your work stand out and resonate with your viewer…

…and you’ll discover how you can paint the entire portrait in 90 minutes or less!

You’ll also discover:

The importance of flexibility and how to make the most of the moment when painting

Daniel’s palette, and why he chooses each individual color

Why Daniel sometimes uses photos as a reference point (but only AFTER certain key steps)

What type of lines to use and when to use them to give your initial drawing more strength

How to start with certain shapes and move to the more specific elements in your work

How to paint hair, making it feel realistic and soft, and why this is so important when working in sunlight

How to paint specific features, like the eyes, forehead, lips, and chin, the way the masters do it

The common mistakes people make when painting shadows (and how to avoid them)

How to “warm up” and “cool down” your tones so you can maintain a sense of unity in your painting

How to make adjustments “on the fly” if any feature is out of place (hint: noses and eyebrows)

Exactly what you should be considering about the design of your work so you can make the most powerful emotional impact

How to set up background tones, and what this does for your painting as a whole

How to maintain a sense of unity in your values, and why so many beginner and intermediate painters get this wrong

Where to look for temperature shifts when painting your subject

Common mistakes people make when painting the nose, and how to correct them

Why you should look for “drama” between the edges

How to decide where the hard and soft edges are, and why this is critical

Where to find the coolest part of your shadows so you can balance out different features of the face

The key to working with soft transitions, and how this can make a huge difference in your work